Am I saying that the St Louis Blues would still be playing hockey in Martin Brodeur hadn't decided to hang up the skates when Jake Allen became healthy again? Not at all. However, they would have had a much better chance of winning yesterday's game with him in net. After all, he has seen that very same Zach Parise shot from a terrible again 1,000 times before while practicing with the Devils. Remember when there was a contingent of people clamoring that Brodeur had overstayed his welcome in the NHL? That he had sacrificed his legacy in turn for another year of competitive hockey at the highest level? Still think so? I am not saying Marty would be in the top half of NHL goaltenders. However, as a borderline starter he certainly would have been more effective than the Blues travesty between the pipes in Games 5 and 6. My point that Brodeur is talented enough to play goaltender in the NHL still remains, especially with the bar set so low in St. Louis this postseason.

I know a large majority of people will disagree with me. However, I can't imagine that Marty would be one of them. As someone that is currently invested in the franchise he had to be itching to strap on the pads as Jake Allen was floundering under the pressure of postseason hockey. Bet if you asked Hitchcock who he would rather have manning the crease after Allen's second softy of the game he would have been receptive to the league's all time wins leader coming out of retirement. Obviously modern day Marty isn't the same player that set every benchmark at the goaltending position. However, he definitely still had some gas left in the tank when he decided his next stop would be the Hall Of Fame. Couldn't have hurt to have a man with such a strong pedigree of winning behind the bench when things went south. If the NHL has taught us anything, it's that the playoffs are built for unlikely heroes at the goaltender position.